


Breathe In & Breathe Out

by yellowcottondresses



Category: Nashville (TV)
Genre: Free Verse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 22:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3668292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowcottondresses/pseuds/yellowcottondresses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you sleep two feet away from someone, you learn how they<br/>breathe, like it or not. Takes place after events of 3x16, "I Can't Keep Away From You".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe In & Breathe Out

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: How do you fix being bored at work? See below!

When you sleep  
Two feet away from  
Someone  
You learn how they  
Breathe  
Like it or not.

_Avery_

Scarlett snores.

You think he’d remember

With the years 

They shared

A bed

But it keeps him up 

Tonight.

On the bus

As they cross

The dream-dark highways.

 

He gives up 

Around 2 AM

And calls 

Juliette

Bad idea

The baby 

Just stopped kicking

And she could 

Finally

Sleep.

 

“I’m hanging up now – ”

She says

“And if you call again

I will unleash

The wrath of 

Crazy Pregnant Lady

On you.

Full force.

I love you.”

 

“I love you, too –”

She’s 

Gone.

 

He pulls a pillow over his ears. 

But can still hear Scarlett

Her measured 

In

And 

Out.

 

The road rumbles beneath him

Like a pulse

And soon it keeps in time 

To her snores.

 

It’s not so bad

Like being rocked

Inside a warm

Safe

Space. 

 

 

_Gunnar_

His head is tucked 

Toward the wall

Covers over his head

As he flicks through his phone

Blocking the light.

 

They took at least

Six

Different photos

Before they settled on the 

One

For Twitter.

And after

Last night

They have so many more.

 

Fans sending him

Videos

Pictures

Grainy images from all the way 

In the nosebleeds.

Pictures of the blurry stadium Jumbotron

And close-ups

From the Front Row.

 

Scarlett’s face beams in

Image

After 

Image

After

Image –

And his own.

Their expressions caught in pixels

With vivid clarity. 

 

The flowers

Sit in a vase 

Next to her bunk.

Petals drooping

To the bus floor.

 

They used to share

A bigger, fancier bus

On Luke’s tour

A million years ago

 

But 

This

Space

Feels

So 

Much 

Wider.

 

Even if

The distance 

Between them 

Now

Is just 

A 

Few 

Breaths 

Away.

 

Their faces

Are still

Frozen

On his screen. 

 

She’s smiling 

Because

She’s finally

Where she was always

Meant to be

 

He’s smiling

Because 

He’s there

With 

Her.

 

 

_Scarlett_

She’s the only 

One

Sleeping

 

Too tired to keep

Her eyes

Open.

 

Caleb

Called 

To wish her 

Goodnight.

They didn’t say

The Words

But

 

She breathes

In – 

The sweet flowers

The roar of the crowd

The tangy sweat

The choking spice of cologne

The stale bus air

Her songs and rhymes – 

 

Breathes 

out –

For now

It’s all

Enough. 

 

 

_Deacon_

The distance between

Them 

Under the covers

Feels like

The distance between

Breathing

And 

Being 

Alive.

 

 

_Juliette_

She still can’t sing

With the baby

Positioned so awkwardly

Taking her breath away

Literally.

 

But 

She’ll miss her 

Daughter

Being under her

Heart.

 

Even if she won’t miss

Swelling and puking and insomnia

Not being able to see her feet

Being five million pounds

Feeling like Avery will have to 

Roll her

To the delivery room. 

 

She wants 

Her body

Back. 

 

But when she puts

The phone

To her belly

And listens

To Avery 

Sing,

She doesn’t mind

Breathing 

For the both

Of them.

(For now.) 

 

 

_Jeff_

Their reflections 

In the mirror

On her wall

Breathe

 

And shudder

Into each other – 

The gaps and spaces

Their bodies

Make

 

Like they can

Actually

Fit

Together.

 

They close the space

Between 

Them

 

That cold rush of lost air

They both 

Fight

To be

The first

To breathe

Before it rushes

Out

Of the trap

Of their bodies

And fills

The shallows

Of 

Each other’s.

 

He remembers

Will

Pulling her 

Out of the water

 

They were on the 

Ground

Rocking

He had her

In his arms

Little and limp

 

“Don’t touch her –“

He shouted

When people hovered

“Just leave it – 

“Don’t touch her –“

“Don’t touch – “

Her

 

Breathing

Slowly

 

Jeff could see

Her chest

Move

 

In 

And

Out

 

And relief 

So strong

Might have brought him

To his knees

If he were 

A different kind

Of 

Person. 

 

Will rocked her

Back

And

Forth

Repeating

“It’s all right, it’s all right, 

You're all right”

While sirens wailed

And

Everything

Around them

Glowed.

 

If he was a 

Different

Sort of 

Person

Would he have

Something 

To lose?

 

Why bother

Thinking

Like that?

 

They’re still

Fighting

To close

the space

between them

and maybe

that’s all

he has.

 

It’s only

Movement

But 

It’s 

Something.

 

Not love

But

It could

Be – 

 

Something.

 

To have

To feel

To lose.

(Take that, Teddy).

 

 

_Layla_

When she asks

Him

To leave

 

It’s like 

Something

Inside her

Loosens.

 

An anchor

She’s cutting 

Free. 

 

At one time

Being alone

Was the scariest thing 

she could ever face.

 

Now

It’s probably

Going to keep her

From 

Opening her door

Again.

 

She can do 

Without

Ex-husbands

Old lovers

And go back to

Counting sheep

Like she counts

Her mistakes

These days

And

Nights.

 

She’ll keep her door shut

Until she can find

Someone

Who doesn’t

Need

To 

Try. 

 

It’s better 

This way,

Even if it makes

Every breath

Feel like

A bruise. 

 

 

_Sadie_

He isn’t

Breathing

She isn’t

Either.

 

Luke 

Hauls her

Away from 

Pete’s body

And drags her 

Into the truck.

 

“What the fuck?” 

He keeps repeating

The words run together

Until they don’t sound like

Language

Just

Chaos.

“What the fuck?”

 

_whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhattheFUCK?!?!?!?!?!?!?_

 

The rank coppery stench

Of blood

Warm and slick

On her hands

Fills the confined space.

 

Luke stares at her.

She stares at Pete.

Pete is staring

At the sky

Like he sees

Something she doesn’t. 

 

“What the fuck?”

He’s still staring at her

Even when

The lights

Start whirling. 

Red

And

Blue

Across his 

Astonished

White

Face. 

 

“What the fuck?”

She still can’t breathe.

 

 

_Rayna_

Maddie

Cried herself

To sleep.

 

She’s tucked in her mama’s arms

Like she hasn’t been

Since she was tiny

Daphne on her other side

They’re all piled

Under her covers

Tonight.

 

They’re safe beside her

Breathing

Dreaming

Hopefully of happier things – 

And she feels 

Awful.

 

The past twelve hours

Have been the most

Gut-wrenching

Agonizing

Soul-crushing

Rage-inducing

Unbelievable

Magical

Loving 

Hours

Of her life.


End file.
